Uncrewed Aerial Systems Course for Operators
Date: (03-10-2025)
The Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Course for operators was held at the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence from 30 September to 3 October 2025. It brought together 23 students from diverse backgrounds in a dynamic in-person setting. All lectures and live demonstrations were provided by guest instructors from the Engineer Research and Development Centre of the US Army Corps of Engineers. The course was designed to demonstrate effective UAS operations in various scenarios, including reconnaissance and emergency response. Participants were shown how to collect, process, and analyse data using specialised software.
On the second day of the course, after providing instructions on flight risk assessment, Mrs Jennifer Laird and Mr Michael Baker conducted a live demonstration of WingtraOne’s data collection mission at the firing range “Slivnitsa”. They also demonstrated the optical and thermal capabilities of the SkyDio X10D quadcopter.
On the third day, Dr Adam Wells guided participants through the practical use of ArcGIS software. Students learned image analysis, digital surface model manipulation, viewshed, and drainage analysis.
By the end of the course, after all lectures, demonstrations, and many answered questions, participants had acquired extensive knowledge of how to apply UAS in real-world scenarios such as infrastructure monitoring and disaster management.
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